What on Earth Is Going On in Heaven? - Part B

Worship of God. The Bible is musical the ark of the covenant during the time David they were dancing before the Lord after the Red Sea episode of Exodus 15, the buyer that was in the temple: sermons from even in panels sometimes music was involved a common portrayal of having his people sitting around on cloud strumming harps, which to be honest does sound kind of today on connect with Skip Heitzig Skip help to discover what actually happens in heaven and how you will join him to experience it all before we begin sure is a great resource that takes one interesting journey inside to Middle East affairs. Here is Skip with Joel Rosenberg to talk about this month's offer Joel's book, the Jerusalem assassin brings all Rosenberg releases a new book by can't wait to read it. He never disappoints. Recently, I was able to talk with Joel about this book from his home in Jerusalem is about an American president was about to roll out his Middle East peace plan Joel Rosenberg's novels are dramatic stories from the reality of today's headlines have a savvy Israeli peace plan would be huge. That will be historic.

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Typically, the responses is that all that's out. It sounds like one long church service. That's how we think about it. This is why people resort to saying these things at funerals. I know that right now he's up in heaven playing golf, golf, or I know right now she's hiking and some mountain in heaven or some earthly activity. We always confine happen to earthbound activities as if there could be nothing better than golf or hiking or baking or whatever. We have to come up with something they like doing here on earth. As I read through Revelation 4 and five I get this idea that John isn't bored up there is like his twin is undergoing a great worshiping all the time. In fact, the theme that I keep getting from Revelation 4 and five is there's nothing more fascinating than God himself. He is taken by this. This is shock and awe for John so let's just consider the kind of worship going on in heaven and see how that interfaces with us now because the name of this message is what on earth is going on and have an answer worship so let's see how our worship interfaces with that of heaven. You notice first of all, the proper response in worship that is in heaven look at chapter 5 verse eight now when he that is the Lamb. When he had taken the scroll, so there's a definite action going on the lam is taking the title deed to the earth which will implied full redemption through a series of judgment in his second coming. We had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints, and they sang a new song sang so it's when they saw the Lamb take the scroll there worship was a response to what he did and here's the principle I want to make worship must be intellectual now hear me follow me worship must be intellectual. It's what you see or know God to be or do. That causes a response to God. Worship is the human response or the human reaction to a divine action. They knew what that meant when he took the scroll and now here is the intelligent response they worship the Lord is he worship involves the mind, we must think about what God has done who God is to response one person who wrote a lot of heaven said this at times throughout the day as I work in my office. I find myself on my knees thanking God for his goodness. When I eat a meal with my wife when I talk with a friend or if I take my dog out for a walk. I worship God for his goodness. The world is full of praise trumpeters, but heaven will overflow with them, looked out the little phrase phrase prompters. I like that. Learn to live your life being prompted by different things on the quick God is to explore thank you for that praise you for that in heaven he says will overflow with them. So the action of God prompts the reaction of the heavenly host and that is worship Jesus said in Mark chapter 12 verse 30 you shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, all of your soul. All of your mind and all of your strength, please dismiss the idea that worship is a mindless activity that we just get pumped up into a frenzy and disengage the mind only engage the mind and I think powerful worship is when your mind is stretched by the words of a song to give you a full understanding of God. I member when I was first a Christian and I thought the singing God's love from above. You know that kinda stuff to sort of same words I love you I love you I love you Lord that was just where it's at and I never liked hymns as I grew up think that's us old stuff that are not a worship.

We do that, I started reading the hymns and I started listening to the depth of knowledge and theology that the hymn writers had. And as I would sing the hymns. It would stretch my understanding of who God is and help me worship even more so worship must be intellectual and here in heaven, we find that it is secondarily the notice is the position that is assumed in worship and from this we derive the principal worship is physical, not just something in the heart. It's also physical but back in chapter 4 verse nine whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever. The 24 elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying you are worthy of the Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they exist and were created. And again in chapter 5 verse eight taken the scroll, the four living creatures. The 24 elders fell down before the Lamb. Why are they doing this widely falling down because frankly they're awestruck they're awestruck and are so grateful and the response is physical.

They responded as ancient people would respond to royalty. If a king or queen locked in the room are you into the throne room you would always be that now you would always get on the needs so worship here is physical 97 times the word worship appears in the Old Testament. I was looking it up and I discovered the normal word used from Hebrew translated worship is the word shahada which means to bow down translated worship to bow down. It also is translated to fall also translated to stoop or to do obeisance to its physical affirmation of honor and authority and respect. Psalm 95 verse six is one of the most famous one. So, come, let us worship and bow down shahada now except you have to bow down is not that you're not spirits. Unless you bow down now these are other expressions as I name them to you that you can do to enhance the physical expression of your worship in the Bible talks about all of these. Another one is the raising of the hands first Timothy chapter 2 verse eight Paul says wherever you assemble.

I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, can I be honest with you the first time I was in the service is a brand-new Christian, I watched people doing this I thought might I might out with CS. What are they doing it so precious. You know what it is when you lift your hands. It's a sign of welcome a child.

When a child sees mom or dad to put your hands up like pick me up.

I welcome you into my space, my life adults stick out their hand to shake a hand again a sign of welcome. Also, the raising of hands I believe speaks of surrender to the old Westerns come out with your hands up, law enforcement officers still want hands up when they deal with the bad guys is when your hands are up urine surrender mode, you can't do anything else when her hands are. You can't text message, or friend, you can't write other staff. Your hands are up yet to be focused another position. The Bible speaks about his kneeling. Psalm 95 or six, come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our maker, like bowing, kneeling, as a sign of humility means I'm preoccupied I'm preoccupied with God. He is my focus. I'm preoccupied with him another expression.

The Bible speaks about his dancing.

I know some of you dancing was bad, which can be somebody once asked me to Christian's dance.

My answer will some canned and some can't but say what the Bible says about it. Psalm 149 verse three. Let them praise his name with the dance.

This is a mean great Oregon hip-hop tonight. The ideas in the context of celebration. The great feast of Israel were accompanied by people dancing before the Lord. David danced before the Lord in Exodus 15 Miriam and the women of Israel played the tambourine and danced before the Lord in Ecclesiastes chapter 3 you know it well. Solomon says there is a time to weep, there's a time to laugh. There is a time to mourn. There's a time to what think you dance right there in the Bible. Another expression is standing.

Psalm 135 praise him, you servants of the Lord who stand in the house of the Lord.

There's room getting it's funny how in the last here in the Western culture we have guarded ourselves so carefully against any physical expression and worship, except for one sitting is acceptable.

Yeah I Lord I just like to say that it's comfortable for me. So I think the message could be perhaps it's really all about me. As long as I'm comfortable and set up preoccupied with him another one. The Bible speaks about is the lifting of the eyes. Psalm 123 under you. I lift my eyes out. As I look up Jesus did this when he prayed, lifted his eyes toward heaven and you I lift up my eyes so you who dwell in the heavens.

Guess what I found as I look to the Scripture.

Closing your eyes. Holding her hand. Not in the Bible does make it wrong, it just didn't make God stop. Five.

That's all there is tremendous freedom in all of this, but these are expressions and the physicality of worship was and is, I believe, experienced and have third thing I'd like you to notice about their worship is the possessions employed in worship. Notice in chapter 5 verse eight. They each have a harp you know harp is a musical instrument. Again, I will be very honest with the first time I read this I wasn't too excited about it is that my mind went to the picture. Great him to be sin on a cloud with a harp right all day long. Now I don't particularly like to play harp. I don't mind hearing the harp. I love it in the right kinds I really do. I admire a great harpist or harpoon is or whatever it is, the idea for me playing habits like get in and so I studied this and found out that the harp is an ancient trapezoidal instrument with strings that are usually strummed with a pick. So I think in my mind goes to sound like a guitar so heaven sent a little cooler to me right now and I first found that out and then I read this verse in the amplified Bible and read it to you and each one having a harp that is Aleut or a guitar that okay something really cool right about now is bring up a little pickup on it and crank a little, which is my frame of reference is my point.

The worship of God throughout the Bible is musical whether they were moving the ark of the covenant during the time David, whether they were dancing before the Lord after the Red Sea episode in Exodus 15 the great feast days and festivals of Israel. The choir that was in the temple with musical instruments and trumpets, even in battle. Sometimes music was involved. Some hundred and 50 says praise him with the sound of the trumpet, praise him with stringed instruments and flutes praise him with loud cymbals and with clashing cymbals, so worship is musical and I think in heaven could be awesome to be awesome. Martin Luther sometimes you could say things like nobody else could Martin Luther sit next to theology I give to music. The highest place and honor. Music is the art of the prophets. The only art that can calm the agitations of the soul is one of the most magnificent and delightful presence of God is given. True is in it. We all love music we play when we work were in the car we tap to remove to a tower made to be in heaven. Martin Luther also said this was. This is classic.

If any man despise his music as all fanatics do for him. I have no liking for music as a gift and the grace of God, not the invention of men. Thus, it drives out the devil and makes people cheerful, then one forgets all wrath, impurity and other devices on the fourth and final thing on what you notice about the worship in heaven is the kind of praise that is described in worship as you read through this winter read a few verses, just a minute you get the idea that they put their whole being into their whole heart leads me to this statement worship is emotional.

Yes, it's intellectual but that's not all evidence is also emotional Jesus of the fathers looking for worshipers will worship him in spirit and in truth. Now let let's look at this verse nine and they sang a new song, saying you are worthy to take the scroll and open it seals, for you were slain, and have redeemed us to God by your blood out of every tribe and tongue people and nation, and it made us kings and priests to our God and we shall reign on the earth. And then I looked and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures elders 10,000×10,000, saying verse 12 of the loud voice, worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth, and as such as are in the sea and all that are in them. I heard saying, blessing and honor and glory and power be to him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever. And the four living creatures said amen and the 24 elders fell down and worshiped him who lives forever and ever, that there there into this. There into this member. Jesus said love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Report themselves into and I read the word loud here. They worship him with a loud voice seems like to me in the Bible it seems to me the gods and the volume now I don't mean just cranking up the PA.

I mean your own personal they had no PA than just your own voice singing loud. I don't think God into to the air shout, not to the Lord. I member I had a camp counselor one time I was involved in the songs they were sitting in the cemetery. Some if God gave you a good voice and use it to praise him. God gave you a bad voice give it back to him.

You might be saying well I am not a good singer deal with it because all say that to all you nonmusical people. The voice that you have is the voice of the Lord God Almighty gave you and it is an adequate instrument to praise the Lord. Viruses make a joyful noise. Anybody can do that. Now you understand what I think it's a noise not a joyful noise nobody around these joyful I give you this instruction. If you don't sing well.

Please sing aloud as will happen is her summary next is nothing but a great voice again. I got on that person out and there's heavy this huge anthem of worship. Some great and to reflect heaven, saying with a loud voice on Isaiah chapter 29 God to the prophet said these people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. The words were going through the motions but there is no emotion when you sing sing like you mean it. I know people are wired differently. Some are very exuberant and emotional. Others are stoic, almost flat line personalities. The so we are wired differently understand that, but I also hear people use this excuse will I'm not the emotional type some people to tell me that I know them are not emotional to really like is a couple weeks on the golf course you are really emotional when you hit that great drivers like you're only good shot all day. You are so stoked you jumped up and shouted, not emotional emotional over something and those who are nonemotional when their kids scores a touchdown or gets an award they get very emotional. Why is it that this one area.

We feel we have to shut it off.

I've been to some sporting events ever been to the pit.

When the local score you ever see proximity only to or are given to a concert with the big band and watch the people. Pagans know how to get excited. So so why do Christians think that enthusiasm about the most learned these thing in the universe must somehow be carefully contained in think I'd like into that and got Leydig would hold on-site way to tell him know you love me good worship. Somebody once said God isn't too excited about secret admirers. So tell him don't be afraid to express it in a try to make you emotional automatons. I'm just saying. However, you do it. Put your all into it. Put your max into when you do your getting close to heaven.

There's a lot of praise prompters. There's a lot of things that God allows in our lives and we could look at go think more praise you Lord I worship you Lord you do that through the day. I would almost guarantee you that by the time we gather corporately the exuberant as you learn to make that your lifestyle was a farmer who lived out in the country. He was a believer very simple man. He was visited by a relative of his who is an unbeliever. They sat down.

That first evening for a meal at the farmhouse in the believing simple farmer raised his hands and thanked God for the meal and worship the Lord and said amen and afterwards the unbelieving relatives said how old-fashioned no one believes in prayer like that anymore and the farmer humbly acknowledge that he was right that it is old-fashioned and that there even some on his farm that don't praying don't give thanks and the unbeliever lightened up in sickle and who are these wise enlightened ones in the farmer said my pigs. So let's get above the level of an animal, and we have been given voices and bodies and spirits to worship and love the Lord with everything because he is working. We are the redeemed include Skip a text message today from the series from the edge of return. Right now you're scared to tell you how your support helps confuse messages coming your way, connects more people to God's truth no matter what happens in your life or where God takes you. He's always in control. His word assures us of this truth. Time and time again here at connect with skip. We want friends like you to hold fast to the encouraging truths of the Bible and then share those truths with others. One way you can do that today is by prayerfully partnering in this work to keep these teachings coming to you and others.

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